Large projects generally involve a manager, who oversees the project, and many workers, also referred to as resources, who perform smaller tasks within the project. In such a context, a project manager will often need to delegate tasks to various resources. In a large project, resources may also want the ability to further define, divide, and/or delegate tasks to other resources, creating a hierarchy of delegation. The project manager may want to control approval of the further delegation of a task. Hierarchical delegation may also lead to the creation of intermediate managers, called team leaders. Thus, it is desirable, particularly in large projects, to be able to monitor which resource is working on a particular task and the current status of that task.
Existing project management software modules do not enable managers to monitor complex levels of task delegation and do not support the easy flow of tasks among resources as a project progresses. The conventional approach is one of simple delegation where a project manager performs the delegating and passes tasks to a resource. However, requiring the project manager to be involved in every assignment of a task is inefficient and cumbersome. Moreover, the inability to transfer responsibility for, or ownership of, a task further hinders collaboration and productivity.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a system which will support the delegation of tasks and facilitate collaboration among resources in the context of a project. Specifically, a need exists in the art for a system which will allow a project manager to choose the level of control and scrutiny she will have over the delegation of tasks. A further need exists which will enable resources to further define, subdivide, and delegate tasks. There is also a need to maintain a record of, among other things, the tasks, the delegations, and which resources are working on the tasks.